I love to cook, and I love to use fresh herbs from my little garden, but I don’t particularly enjoy the monotony of chopping fresh herbs into uniform bits. That’s why I am especially enjoying the set of Herb Scissors that Useful Things sent me.

Measuring 7.5″ long, these dishwasher safe scissors have five 3″ stainless steel blades that “allow you to cut, chop or mince herbs directly into a pan or over a plat for garnishing.”

The handles have silicone cushioned grips, which should keep you from getting blisters while madly snipping.

I recently made manicotti and lasagna, which is when I got to put the Herb Scissors to the test. This is my upside down patio tomato planter, which has a small herb garden in its top section. My oregano and basil have totally taken off, and both were going in these dishes…

OK. This picture was a bit awkward to take, because I was not only having to hold the scissors, I was also taking the picture. Ordinarily, my left hand would have been holding the exposed stems and my right the scissors. Just picture me doing that, because it’s what I did right after this picture was taken…

…and this was the result: beautifully chopped oregano and basil. Total chopping time was maybe half a minute, which included running the scissors through soapy water and then rinsing. The entire process couldn’t have been easier, and I much preferred it to getting out a chopping board, selecting a knife, possibly having to sharpen the knife, chopping the herbs, and then having to wash the chopping board and knife.

Being able to select exactly what parts of the herbs were chopped was simply a matter of holding the stems and stopping at the desired point. If there were any gnarly bits on the leaves before chopping, I simply snipped them off before adding them to the mix.

Yes, it’s yet another kitchen tool that you’ll have to clear space in your drawer for, but in this case I think you’ll want to make sure you put it somewhere handy. If you enjoy cooking with fresh herbs, then you will truly appreciate prepping with the Herb scissors.

I have had a fascination with all types of gadgets and gizmos since I was a child, beginning with the toy robot that my grandmother gave my brother - which I promptly "relieved him of" in 1973. I am a self-confessed gadget magpie. I can't tell you how everything works – but I am known world-wide for using a product until I have a full understanding of what it does, what its limitations are, and if it excels in any given area...or not.

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Hm, I could certainly make good use of those for the herbs in my Aerogarden and outside vegetable garden. Say, when are you going to publish pictures of your upside-down tomato planter? Once those are ripe, you can get some good olive oil, pepper and fresh mozarella and make an Insalata Caprese with the fresh basil.

mmmm! I am going to have to wait until the plants have fruit! We planted in late April, and while the herbs and peppers on top are doing well, the tomato plants on the bottoms are huge but have not put out anything just yet. I will definitely post about whether or not it is a success, as soon as I have more data.